Restoring Broken Fellowship

2 Corinthians 2:5-7

One of the consequences of sin is evident in this passage: broken fellowship. Whoever this man was, and whatever sort of trouble he caused, Paul says "most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough." For many people, broken fellowship with other believers acts as a corrective. Desire to renew fellowship will bring about the needed change.

Paul tells the Corinthians "Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement." So forgiveness is part of restoration of the sinner with the body of believers. But as we know, forgiveness also works on those who were sinned against. Failure to forgive someone can become a seed of bitterness, and I think that's probably something Paul had in mind when he encouraged the Corinthians to forgive "so that Satan will not outsmart us."

Earlier this year, a good friend of mine found himself suddenly out of fellowship with his church, his friends, and even members of his family because of the sin in his life. The sudden loss of fellowship was a wake-up call. He told me that there were only two or three people who still kept contact with him as worked to conquer the sin in his life and get himself back on the right track.

In the end, things worked out very well. There has been forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. But he tells me some friends -- fellow Christians -- still refuse contact, not just with him, but with his family as well, and this has been very painful.

Reconnecting with a body of believers after a period of broken fellowship must be a delicate process. One must navigate the various hazards of broken trust, hurt feelings, and other consequences of the situation.

Several years ago, I had a friend who, after discovering her husband's infidelity, sought a divorce. When her church found out she was divorcing her husband, they "disfellowshipped" her. "Please continue going to church," they told her, "but not here."

She did find a new church, but when I spoke with her a few months afterward, she was very bitter about how her former church treated her, and I can't say I blame her.

I think this need for a quick restoration of fellowship is why Paul admonished the Corinthians to quickly forgive and comfort this unknown troublemaker. Forgiveness isn't easy. I am guilty of paying lip-service to forgiveness while still holding tightly to the righteous indignation of offenses from the distant past. (There's that seed of bitterness again.)

The longer that broken fellowship continues, the more difficult it is to reconcile.

Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him.

Because Bethesda is a very large body of believers, it may be difficult to tell if someone has broken off fellowship with us. That's one reason our small groups are so important. Occasionally someone will ask if I've seen a particular person in church lately. Have they stopped coming? Are they going somewhere else? Are they not attending church at all? Is there an issue that needs to be addressed? If this is a matter of broken fellowship, what should be done about it?

First and foremost, forgiveness.